1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to construction of a door in a motor vehicle, and more particularly to improvements in construction of a door in a motor vehicle, wherein the outer surface of a door glass and the outer surface of a door frame are substantially flush with each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a means for reducing the air resistance and the wind breaking sounds during running and improving the appearance, there has been proposed a so-called flush-surfaced motor vehicle, wherein the outer surface of the vehicle body is flushed up.
As one problem in the case of the outer surface of the vehicle body being flushed up, there is a difference in stage between a door frame and a door glass.
More specifically, the door glass is expanded out due to a difference in pressure between the interior and the exterior of a compartment during running of the motor vehicle at high speed. However, in order to regulate this, it becomes necessary to provide a guide for pressing the outer peripheral portion of the door glass from outside. In consequence, the outer surface of the guide and the outer surface of the door glass should necessarily have a difference in stage therebetween.
In order to obviate the above-described disadvantage, as described in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 2,024,773 for example, there has been made a proposal in which substantially a crank-shaped flange is coupled to an end edge of the door glass, and an end portion of this crank-shaped flange is guided in the vertical direction by a guide having a U-shaped cross-section, whereby the center of the guide is offset from the door glass toward the interior of the vehicle body to thereby flush the outer surface of the door frame with the outer surface of the door glass.
However, the above-described construction of the guide providing the flange at the end edge of the door glass presents such a disadvantage that the sliding resistance becomes high in value when the door glass is moved in the vertical direction to be opened.
Further, as described in Japanese Utility Model Kokai (Laid-Open) No. 158321/81 for example, there has been made a proposal in which a flange secured to the door glass is guided by a vertical guide having elasticity in the thickness-wise direction of the door glass and additionally functioning as a door weather strip, to thereby decrease the sliding resistance when the door glass is opened or closed.
However, the construction of the door of the type described presents such disadvantages that a difference in stage occurs at a connecting portion between the top end of the door glass and a roof side portion, whereby it becomes difficult to effect the sealing and the door frame is increased in its width.
To obviate the above-described disadvantages, as described in West German Patent Publication No. 2809721 (Refer to FIGS. 1 and 2) for example, there has been made a proposal in which a guide groove 4 integral with a door frame 3 is formed on the side of a compartment 2 at an end portion of a door glass 1 in a motor vehicle M, and a slide piece 5 secured to the rear surface of the end portion of the door glass 1 (on the side of the compartment 2) is projected and engaged with the guide groove 4 in a manner to be slidable in the vertical direction, whereby the sliding resistance is reduced when the door glass 1 is opened or closed without the width of the door frame at the outer peripheral portion of the door glass 1 being increased.
In this case, the sealing between the door glass 1 and the door frame 3 is effected by a door glass weather strip 6 being in contact with a corner portion of the end edge 1A of the door glass 1, and the outer surface 6A of this door glass weather strip 6 and the outer surface 3A of the door frame 3 disposed on the side of the outer periphery of this door glass weather strip 6 are made substantially flush with the outer surface of the door glass 1.
The construction of the door shown in FIG. 2 presents such a disadvantage that, since the door glass weather strip 6 is interposed between the slide piece 5 and the door frame 3, the door glass weather strip 6 is very small in its size in the direction of the width of door, whereby, even if the end edge 1A of the door glass 1 is slightly shifted in its position, the sealing is not easily secured.
In view of this, if a rear contacting portion 6B of the door glass weather strip 6, which is in contact with the rear surface of the door glass 1, is increased in its width, then the positions of the slide piece 5 and the guide groove 4 must be moved to the left in FIG. 2 accordingly, and consequently, such a disadvantage is presented that the door frame is increased in its width.
Further, this construction of the door presents such a disadvantage that, since the slide piece 5 projects from the rear surface of the door glass 1, the guide groove 4 for guiding the slide piece 5 should project into the compartment to a large extent.
Furthermore, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 for example, when such a construction is adopted that a pillar 7 is not observed from outside due to the presence of the door, an end portion 3B of the door frame 3 must be extended in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and hence, in this case also, there is presented the disadvantage that the door frame 3 should become large in its width.
In contrast thereto, as shown in FIG. 3, it may be proposed that, in a construction of a door in a motor vehicle, wherein a slide piece or pieces 12 secured to an end edge 11A of a door glass 11 of a side door 10 are slidably coupled into a guide groove 15 of a guide portion 14 of a door frame 13 to thereby guide the door glass 11 in the vertical direction, and the outer surface of the door glass 11 and the outer surface of the door frame 13 are substantially flush with each other, a door glass weather strip 16 for sealing between the door glass 11 and the door frame 13 is provided closer to the side of a compartment 17 than the guide portion 14, each slide piece 12 is secured to the forward end of a bracket 18 projecting outwardly from the end edge 11A of the glass 11 substantially in parallel to the glass surface, the guide portion 14 is opened toward the end edge 11A of the door glass 11 to thereby form a guide groove 15 for enclosing the slide piece 12, and an outer wall surface 14A of the guide portion 14 is made substantially flush with the door glass 11.
In this case, the door glass weather strip 16 is disposed at the side of the compartment 17 of the end edge 11A of the door glass 11, held by an outwardly directed channel portion 19 formed on the door frame 13, a lip 16A thereof is normally brought into contact with the rear surface of the end edge 11A of the door glass, to thereby block a gap formed between the end edge 11A and the door frame 13.
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 20 indicates a center pillar, and 21A and 21B indicate door weather strips secured to a front and a rear side doors 10A and 10B, respectively.
The center pillar 20 is disposed such that, when the front side door 10A and rear side door 10B are closed, the center pillar is shielded substantially invisibly from outside by the guide portions 14 of the door frames 13 of the both doors. Furthermore, the door weather strips 21A and 21B are opposed to a rearwardly directed channel portion 22A and a forwardly directed channel portion 22B, which are provided on the rear surfaces of the outwardly directed channel portions 19 of the door frames 13, in a manner to be directed rearwardly and forwardly respectively, and adopted to be in contact with the center pillar 20 when the front side door 10A and rear side door 10B are closed.
In the above-described construction of a door in a motor vehicle, the width of the center pillar 20 in the longitudinal direction is determined in accordance with a distance in the longitudinal direction between a frame surface 23A as being the forward end face of the rearwardly directed channel portion 22A to which is secured the door weather strip 21A of the front side door 10A and a frame surface 23B as being the rear end face of the forwardly directed channel portion 22B to which is secured the door weather strip 21B of the rear side door 10B. However, the distance between the frame surfaces 23A and 23B is large, and accordingly, even if hemmings 24A and 24B at the rear end of the front side door 10A and at the forward end of the rear side door 10B are minimized in their lengths, the width in the longitudinal direction of the center pillar 20 becomes considerable large. Hence, there are presented various disadvantages that the extent of convenience for an occupant to get in and out of the vehicle is lowered, the vehicle is increased in its weight, the degree of obstruction of the sight is increased, the appearance is deteriorated and so forth.